Drop brake shaft and mounting therefor



, y 1929. A. KEARNEY DROP BRAKE SHAFT AND MOUNTING THEREFOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jung 16, 1927 Efiii YIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/l ulllilililiiiiliii 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W 1 J M V W I a Wm \m w -1 ,2], w

July 9, 1929.

KEARNEY DROP BRAKE SHAFT AND MOUNTING THEREFOR Filed June 16, 1927 Patented July 9,1929. v i I 1,720,078 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEX KEARNEY, OF ROAN OKE, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO UNION RAILWAY E QUIP- MENT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DROP BRAKE SHAFT AND MOUNTING THEREFOR. Application filed June 16, 1927. Serial No. 199,288.

This invention relates to a drop brake of the car by means of rivets 21 and 22. As 55 shaft of the character employed on flat cars shown, the front sill is composed of two and drop end gondolas where it is desirable to sections 23 and 23*.in overlapping relation, have a hand brake which can be moved out although any other arrangement might be of the way when loading or unloading long employed.

materials which project up to or beyond the The curved front wall 19 has depending 60 ends of the car or when using plows, scoops, therefrom a pair of hangers 24 and 2% in clam-shell buckets, or the like, or, in general, spaced relation to one another, and the inunder circumstances in which the normal nor edges of the hangers are carried inwardelevation of the brake shaft would interfere 1y to merge with a box-like lower housing 25 with the use of the car for the intended purwhich forms a continuation of the upper pro- 65 pose, or subject the shaft to danger or intuberant housing 17. The lower ends of jury. hangers 21 and 24 are turned inwardly and More particularly, the invention relates to integrally connected with a circular base the mounting for the lower end of the brake plate 26 provided in its center with a bore shaft, and to the means provided for sup- 2? through which extends the winding drum 7 porting the lower end of the shaft when in shaft 11 which carries the gear 18. elevated position, which means are adjusta- The base plate 26 is reinforced by means ble to permit of the dropping down of the of a gusset plate 28 which, as shown, is of shaft when it is desirable to lower the same tapering formation comprising a flat end to the car floor level. portion 29, an offset intermediate portion 75 Further objects and details will appear 30, and 'an upper connecting portion 31, from the description of the invention in conwhich latter is riveted to the longitudinally junction with the accompanying drawings, extending draft sill 32, or any other suitable wherein portion of the car frame-work. The forma- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the drop tion of the gusset will depend upon the lev- 30 shaft and mounting and showing the front els in the car frame-work, and the gusset as cross sill of the car in section; a whole may be fiat or offset to any degree Fig. 2 is a frontelevation of the structo conform to the requirements of the car 30 ture; structure.

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view taken on The shaft 14 also extends freely through 85 line 33 of Fig. 2; and the gusset and is supported on a removable Fig. 4 is a sectional detail showing the cross plate 33 which, when removed, will aladjustable stop of the lower end of the low the shaft 14 to drop vertically to disenshaft gage froln the spur gear and permit dis- The drop brake shaft 10 carries a hand assembling of the parts. The plate 26 and 90 Wheel 11 at its upper end. The shaft is end portion 29 of the gusset are connected by preferablysquare in cross section and is slidrivets 34, 35, 36 and 37, and the rivets able through a pinion 12 meshing with a and 37 additionally serve to connect the cross large spur gear 13 mounted upon a winding plate 33.

drum shaft 14 adapted to wind up the brake The drop shaft 10 is slidably entered 95 chain 15, the forward end of which is atthrough a cap plate 38 which bears upon the tached between lugs 16 depending from the upper margins of the protuberant housing web of the spur gear 13. The details relat- 17 and is journaled through a cross wall 39 ing to the mounting for the brake chain, (see Fig. 4), and the lower end of the shaft however, form no part of the present invenbears against the rounded upper end 40 of 100 tion and need not be further described in agate stop member 41 which, when in supdetail. porting position, extends obliquely across The pinion 12 is mounted within a prothe lower housing box 25 and bears against tuberant upper housing 17 which is intethe rear wall 42 thereof, so that it will afgrally formed with and projects outwardly ford a thrust bearing for the lower end of 1 from a mounting 18, comprising a curved the shaft.

front wall 19 which merges into a top plate The gate stop 41 terminates at its forward 20 which is riveted to the front cross sill end ina foot 43 which projects outwardly in oblique relation to a slot 44 in the front wall of the lower housing 25. The gate stop is provided on its side with trunnions 45 which are carried within U-shaped flanges 46 formed on the inner faces of the side walls of the lower housing, and in alignment with vertically elongated slots or openings 47 in the side walls, which permit of access to the 'trunnions to provide for the removal of any 17. Above this journal bracket is located a end to a tered through ears ratchet wheel 49 on the shaft which is engaged by a dog 50 pivoted on a pin 51 en- 52. The rear or outer end "53 of the dog 1s adapted to be engaged by a weighted handle 54 pivoted at its inner that the weight of the handle will normallyhold the dog in engagement with the ratchet save when the weighted handle is lifted to release the rear end of the dog which will permit the front end to fall out of engagement with the ratchet teeth. The details of the ratchet arrangement, however, form no part of the present invention and need not be further described.

In use with the stop gate in its normal oblique position, its rounded end 40 will furnish a bearingsurface for the lower end of the shaft, and by disposing the stop gate in the oblique position indicated, it will be unnecessary to provide any form of ledge or shoulder for supporting the end of the gate which bears directly upon the inner face of the wall 42. With the parts thus normally disposed, it will require but a slight lifting of the shaft to afford the necessary clear ance to permit the gate to be swung back into the vertical position indicated in dotted lines. In this respect, the arrangement is distinctly superior to one in which the normal position of the gate is in right transverse relation to the shaft which necessitates a much wider range of swinging movement in order to effect a clearance.

With the gate swung back to releasing position, the shaft may be dropped through an aperture 56 in the bottom wall of the lower housing 25, which is so disposed that the shaft, when thus dropped, will clear the hangers 24 and 24 of the gear mounting. Although, as shown, the shaft and the housing through which it operates are located off pin 55, the arrangement being sucla center with respect to the longitudinal axis of the mounting, it is obvious that the upper and lower housings for the shafts might be located in the medial position instead of at one side thereof without any substantial modification of structure which would effect the operation of the parts. By locating the shaft to one side of the medial position, however, a slight gain is made in compactness, since the parts will not project forwardly to quite the same degree as in the case where the medial position is employed.

I claim:

1. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a vertically disposed shaft, a housing through which the shaft is slidably mounted, gear elements actuated by the shaft, and a stop gate pivotally mounted .within the housing and normally occupying an oblique relation with respect to the axis of the shaft and having its free end in abutting relation to the face of the side wall of the housing at a point distant from and substantially above the pivotal mounting for the gate, said gate being positioned to be swung back from its shaft engaging position to permit the shaft to clear the gate, substantially as described.

2. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a vertically disposed shaft, a housing through which the shaft is slidably mounted, gear elements actuated by the shaft, and a stop gate pivotally mounted within the housing and normally occupying an oblique relation with respect to the axis of the shaft and having its'free end in abutting relation to the face of the side wall of the housing at a point distant from and substantially above the pivotal mounting for the gate, said grate being positioned to be swung back from its shaft engaging position to perm1t the shaft to clear the gate, the gate being provided with a foot extending outwardly through the housing in opposed relation to the shaft engaging portion of the foot to afford means for swinging the gate, substantially as described.

3. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a mounting comprising a main portion adapted for connection to the framing of a car, a spur gear and brake connections mounted within the mainportion of the mounting, a housing forwardly protruding from the main portion of the housing, a pinion mounted within the upper portion of said housing, a shaft slidably mounted through the pinion and through the housing and adapted when lowered to extend below the housing, a swinging gate pivotally mounted within the housing and normally occupying an oblique relation to the axis of the shaft and having its free end in abutting relation to the inner face of the rear side wall of the housing, at a point substantially above the pivotal axis, and means for swingthe housing ing the gate upwardly to clear the shaft and permit the dropping of the shaft, substantially as described.

t In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a mounting comprising a main portion adapted for connection to the framing of a car, a spur gear and brake connections mounted within the main portion of the mounting, a housing forwardly protruding from the main portion of the mounting, a pinion mounted within the upper portion of said housing, a shaft slidably mounted through the pinion and through the housing and adapted when lowered to extend below the housing, a swinging gate pivotally mounted within the housing and normally occupying an oblique relation to the axis of the shaft and having its free end in abutting relation to the inner face of the rear side wall of the housing, at a point substantially above the pivotal axis and a foot portion outwardly extending from the gate to a point exterior of the housing to permit manipulation of the gate, substantially as described.

5. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a mounting comprising a main portion adapted for connection to the framing of a car, a spur gear and brake connectionsmounted Within the main portion of the mounting, a housing forwardly protruding from the main portion of the mounting, a pinion mounted within the upper portion of said housing, a shaft slidably mounted through the pinion and through the housing and adapted when lowered to extend below the housing, a swinging gate located within the housing and provided with laterally extending trunnions near its forward end, U- shaped flange sockets on opposite walls of for journalling the trunnions, the gate being of a length when in obliquely disposed relation to the axis of the shaft to bring its free end into abutment with the rear side wall of the housing at a point substantially above the pivotal axis, and means for swinging the gate upwardly to release the shaft and permit the dropping of the latter, substantially as described.

6. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a. mounting comprising a main portion adapted for connection to the framing of a car, a spur gear and brake con nections mounted within the main portion of the mounting, a housing forwardly protruding from the main portion of the mounting, a pinion mounted within the upper portion of said housing, a shaft slidably mounted through the pinion and through the housing and adapted when lowered to extend below the housing, a swinging gate located within the housing and provided with laterally extending trunnions near its forward end, U-shaped flange sockets on opposite walls of the housing for journalling the trunnions, the gate being of a length when in obliquely disposed relation to the axis of the shaft to bring its free end into abutment with the rear side wall of the housing at a point substantially above the pivotal axis, and means for swinging the gate upwardly to release the shaft and permit the dropping of the latter, said means being in the form of a forwardly and downwardly extending foot projecting outwardly from the housing, substantially as described.

7. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a mounting comprising a main portion adapted for connection to the framing of a car, a spur gear and brake connections mounted within the main portion of the mounting, a housing forwardly protruding from the main portion of the mounting, a pinion mounted within the upper portion ofsaid housing, a shaft slidably mounted through the pinion and through the housing and adapted when lowered to extend below the housing, a swinging gate located within the housing and provided with laterally extending trunnions near its forward end, U- shaped flange sockets on opposite walls of the housing for journalling the trunnions, the gate being of a length when in posed relation to the axis of the shaft to bring its free end into abutment with the rear wall of the housing, and means for swinging the gate upwardly to release the shaft and permit the dropping of the latter, the side walls of the housing adjacent to the U-shaped flanges being provided with apertures to afford access to the-trunnions and mountings therefor, substantially as described.

ALEX KEARNEY.

obliquely dis- 

